1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tray intended for the packaging of an article or plural articles. The invention provides a tray that can be used for transporting an article before and after it is filled with a product.
2. Discussion of Background
Certain articles need to be transported between the time when they are manufactured and the time they are filled with a product, and then again when they are delivered to the point of sale. This notably applies to many articles containing cosmetic products, for example sticks containing a deodorant product with the sticks made at a first manufacturing location, filled with a deodorant product at a second location, and finally marketed at a different point-of-sale location. The sticks are transported between all of these locations and need to be protected in order to arrive at the point of sale in good condition.
Typically, the empty sticks are delivered to the filling location packed in cardboard boxes. Several sticks are placed inside the box, with each stick contained in a plastic bag which is itself surrounded by polyethylene foam in the form of a flexible wrap. Between each stick thus packed, provision is additionally made for polyethylene foam and/or cardboard separators. It is therefore necessary to remove each packaging element in order to take out the sticks before filling them with the product. After filling, each stick is placed in a “bubble-wrap” pocket and then in a standard cardboard box for delivery to the point of sale. A large number of packaging elements is therefore required in this type of packing, which necessitates a lot of handling. In addition, as the packaging is used only once, a great deal of waste is generated.